With every new country you visit, there’s a whole new world of cuisine to discover. Are you wondering what awaits you in Turkey? Today’s post will go over some of the best foods you can try during your holiday trip. What is a must-try in Turkey? Much more than just kebabs.
The people of Turkey love to eat. Every meal is a celebration in and of itself. Many events are effectively excuses to prepare certain foods. Meals are eaten slowly, preferably in large groups. Turkish meals are very varied, often full of vegetables and meats. Many Turks also drink ‘ayran’ with their meals, a yoghurt drink with salt and pepper, preferably well chilled. Afterwards, they often have a glass of Turkish tea (with at least two cubes of sugar).
Menemen
Turkish Breakfast
Menemen is a highlight of the Turkish breakfast. It’s something between ordinary scrambled eggs and a shakshuka. Menemen is usually served spicy, with various spices and a drizzle of olive oil. In typical breakfast restaurants, you can choose from a variety of included ingredients. You can find some great Menemens on Breakfast Street in Istanbul. The most common variant includes tomatoes, peppers and a spicy Turkish sausage – Sucuk. To get the full Turkish experience, order it with some tea!
Lahmacun
Turkish pizza
Lahmacun is effectively a Turkish version of pizza. It’s also one of the most popular and affordable street foods. Though we compared it to an Italian pizza, it doesn’t actually use cheese, but rather its own selection of toppings. These are usually some aromatic meat with herbs served with lemon and spices. Lahmacun has a very thin, crispy dough and locals usually eat it rolled up and sipped with tea.
İskender Kebab
Turkish Kebabs
What to eat in Turkey? İskender kebab is one of the most famous meat dishes in north-western Turkey. Locals consider it the ‘king of Turkish kebabs’. This kebab somewhat resembles the classic döner kebab, but only because of the type of preparation of the meat. It is served on a plate and consists of finely sliced grilled lamb covered with a spicy tomato sauce and pieces of pita bread. All this is generously topped with melted sheep’s butter and yoghurt.
Meze
Turkish Meze
Can’t decide what to eat? Short on time to explore Turkish cuisine? Meze is a great solution. It’s a type of several starters with bread that all go well together. They usually include spicy beans, salads, pastes, seafood (such as fried squid and stuffed mussels) and cheese. Meze is served at the beginning of the meal along with soft drinks, wine or Turkey’s national drink – raki.
Gözleme
Turkish street food
This is a traditional savoury Turkish dish. It’s a pastry filled with various ingredients such as cheese, vegetables or minced meat and fried in a pan. It is one of the staple breakfast dishes and a typical street food in Turkey.
Yaprak Dolma
Turkish Dolmas
Yaprak Dolma is the Turkish version of stuffed cabbage rolls. The biggest difference is that they are wrapped in… grape leaves. This might sound iffy if you haven’t tried them, but the end-product is light and delicious. They make for a great accompaniment to many dishes, though it’s also a great standalone snack. The stuffing of Yaprak Dolma is usually rice cooked with tomatoes, parsley, onions, garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, black pepper and salt.
Pide
What to try in Turkey?
Another legend amongst Turkish breakfasts, though Pide can work as any meal. It all depends on just how hungry we are. The dough is shaped into a long form, the edges are toasted and… what’s inside? Well, that’s up to us! The most popular version contains the aforementioned spicy Turkish sausage (sucuk), eggs and ‘kasar’ (sheep milk cheese).
Börek
What to eat in Turkey?
This dish is a special type of pastry that is stuffed in layers. Börek comes in endless shapes and sizes, from a lasagne-like version to one resembling a spring roll. It is a very popular dish ‘on the go’ and can be ordered in a variety of places: from street vendors to elegant bakeries. And it always should go with the obligatory glass of Turkish tea.
Kofte
A popular Turkish dish
You will see this name next to many Turkish dishes. It simply means meatballs. Though not the traditional meatballs we may be familiar with from our homes. The most popular types of Kofte are:
Cig Kofte
The name comes from the original recipe of raw (cig) ground beef combined with bulgur groats, tomato paste, onions, garlic, pepper and Turkish spices. Nowadays, the meat has often been completely replaced by bulgur and sometimes ground walnuts – a healthier but equally tasty choice.
Mercimek Kofte
A vegetarian special. These meatballs are made with red lentils, bulgur porridge, salt, finely chopped onion, shallots, tomatoes, aci biber salca (spicy red pepper paste) and crushed coriander. It is customary to place one kofte on a lettuce leaf, top it with a squeeze of lemon juice, roll the whole thing and munch on it as a snack or a side dish.
Inegol Kofte
One of the most popular versions invented by Mustafa Efendi. Mustafa was originally from Bulgaria, though he migrated to Inegol, north-western Turkey, in the 19th century. Unlike other Turkish kofte, the stuffing of Inegol Kofte is just ground beef/lamb, breadcrumbs and onions.
Lokum, or the Turkish Delight
Turkish sweets
Lokum, known in English as Turkish Delight, is a real gem of Turkish cuisine. A favourite dessert of tourists and Turks alike, a beloved snack of every generation. They are delicate, melt-in-your-mouth cubes (made of water, starch and sugar) topped with rose water, pistachios and other flavours.
Baklava
Turkish pastry
Another Turkish sweet that you simply must try is baklava. Baklava is made of thin dough, each layer covered with butter and sprinkled with ground pistachios. The whole thing is drenched in honey syrup and carefully baked in the oven. Baklava is another icon of Turkish cuisine that you simply can’t miss.
Dondurma
Turkish ice cream
You’ll invariably come across a somewhat odd sight when strolling along Turkish cafes and confectionaries. Ice cream eaten with a knife and fork – which is actually called Dondurma. Traditional Dondurma (which is just Turkish for ‘ice cream’) is made from milk and two special ingredients – salep and mastic. Salep is a type of flour produced from orchids that gives the ice cream a smooth, velvety finish. Mastic, on the other hand, is a natural chewing gum.
Manti
Turkish dumplings
According to a legend, the smaller the manti comes out, the better the chef which prepared them. The best cooks prepare manti so small that up to 40 of them can fit on one spoon. The most popular version contains a spoonful of minced meat or cheese wrapped in a small piece of dough. They’re then cooked and topped with yoghurt and sprinkled with chilli flakes before serving.
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